Aidan awoke to a darkened sky and hunger pangs wringing his stomach. Droplets of water prickled his skin as he sat up and tried to reorient himself with his surroundings. He was alone, but for Slaíne’s Pull in the near distance. Larkin was nowhere to be seen or sensed. “Hello?” Aidan called out, his throat dry and hoarse. No one responded. “Is anyone near?”
The only human Pulls within ten miles were his and Slaíne’s. How long have I been in the Beyond? he wondered. It had only seemed like half an hour, if that. Here, things seemed to have changed drastically, as if hours had passed him by.
“You’re awake,” Slaíne said, emerging from the wood, whence Aidan heard water flowing. “Praise be. I thought you were going to die for certain.” Her face was pale and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying or deprived of sleep. As she swayed on the spot, Aidan assumed it might be the latter. “It’s been half a week, Mr. Aidan, since you was awake. Larkin’s gone. Drinking water’s gone. No – no food in days.”
Taking in what she was saying, Aidan wasted no time in Summoning two water bladders, one of which he handed to Slaíne, who drank greedily. “I am so sorry, Slaíne.”
The girl came up for air, gasping and sputtering water. “Not your fault. Can nay control it, can ya?” She went back to drinking, and Aidan joined her.
Next he Summoned food: bread, berries, and a roasted game hen. They drank and ate in silence. When the two bladders had been drained, Aidan Summoned another. He would replenish what they had used up before they moved on, which goodness alone knew when that would be. Having eaten until his stomach felt ready to burst, Aidan tried standing, but his limbs were stiff from having lain in the same position for as long as he had. He looked at Slaíne more carefully. “You haven’t slept all this time, have you?”
The girl muttered something, but she scarce seemed able to push out any words. Her eyes blinked furiously against the failing light and the droplets of water falling from the sky.
Aidan Summoned two of the animal skins. One he laid across her lap and, after lowering her from her sitting position into a lying one, he folded the other skin and propped it under her head for a pillow. It wasn’t long before Slaíne’s breathing grew deep and slow. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her form relaxed.
Lightning crackled in great forks across the slate-gray sky, and thunder rumbled its reply. But the storm seemed to be passing; he would not need to make a shelter or move Slaíne out from the open. Though certain there were no human or large animal Pulls within the near distance, Aidan Summoned the silver sword and laid it next to Slaíne, in case he was lost to the Beyond again. He also Summoned the remaining water bladder and enough food to last her for a few days. Then, confident she would be provided for, Aidan stretched his limbs and prepared to stand guard for the night.
* * *
Night crept by, as did the storm. Winds blew, lightning flashed, but the rain mostly missed them, just as Aidan had hoped it would. Ashamed for being useless to Slaíne during the days previous, he managed to get to his feet and scouted around the area. There was not much to be seen in the darkness, but he used his abilities to feel out their surroundings. The Pull from the magical battlegrounds pulsed in the distance, a startlingly close distance. While he had slept, the Ludland must have moved closer. Aidan’s stomach knotted.
At the dawning, no birdsong filled the air, and the sun itself seemed reluctant to make its appearance. Over all there hung a silent dread, as if all somehow knew the cursed land had drawn nearer.
Aidan shook the night’s moisture from his hair and took the empty water bladders to the stream, where he refilled and purified them. He did not wake Slaíne upon his returning, but Dismissed what he wished not to carry and Summoned some food with which to break his fast.
When the sun did rise in earnest, Aidan thought the girl might wake. She did not, but slept on, and he let her.
As his traveling companion continued to sleep, Aidan Summoned the remaining food from Nothingness and sorted through it. There was enough to last them another week. It would seem that most of what Aidan had Dismissed from the inn’s kitchen were inedible objects, such as plates and spoons and the like. Of what was edible that remained had yet to be cooked properly. Could they risk a fire with the shape-shifter out there? He knew they would have to, if they wanted to eat again any time soon. Now was as good a time as any.
After taking stock of the Pulls surrounding them, Aidan went about building a fire. He gathered what dry wood he could find along with tinder, and he soon had a modest blaze sputtering sparks and smoke. Blinking his watering eyes, Aidan built the fire up a bit more, and then let it cool down a little so he could roast a chicken and some potatoes. As he manually plucked the feathers from the carcass, Aidan tried, unsuccessfully, not to think about the shape-shifter.
None of it made any sense. Why had the being chosen that moment to attack, when it had been following them for a few days? If the creature was still alive, he must be too wounded to return, so that’s why he hadn’t attacked further.
Tired of plucking, Aidan Dismissed the remainder of the feathers from the chicken, Summoned a knife, and went about butchering it. By now the sun was high in the sky; he would have to wake the girl soon so they could eat and move on.
It was when Aidan thought about moving on that something tugged in his gut. Startled, he leapt to his feet and turned to face this new Pull. No one was there, though it felt as though someone were standing right next to him. Aidan shuddered. “Slaíne,” he said softly at first.
The girl stirred slightly but made no other sign of rising or waking.
Veins pulsing, Aidan Dismissed the chicken and the potatoes and the knife. He kicked ashes over the fire, successfully putting it out and Dismissed the wood. “Slaíne,” he repeated, this time more loudly.
“I heard you the first time,” she muttered. “Give me another hour, yes?”
He growled at her, and Dismissed the skins and the remainder of their camp. “There is no time to be wasted.”
“Hey!” she said as he made to pull her to her feet.
Aidan ignored her as she took a swing at him. “Get up. You have three minutes, and then we move out.” He checked to make certain the Pull had not moved, and was relieved that it remained. “Hurry.”
She hissed at him like an angry cat, but stumbled to her feet. “What’s all this about?” Slaíne took a step back and stared at him. “Your face looks funny.” She made a face of her own. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve found it, Slaíne. Or rather, it found us.” This was the moment he had been waiting for, so he tried to ignore the knots his stomach had tied itself into.
“What’s found us?”
Aidan clenched his jaw. “Cedric’s burial grounds.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jinn
As they walked, Jinn tried to think of ways her foresight might be failing. And the more she thought and tried to peer ahead, the more certain she became that there was nothing to be done. Not that she was giving up, far from it. It was difficult not to draw Quick’s attention to her plight, especially when she stopped him and said she needed to peer ahead again and, waiting until his back had been turned, before drawing out the knife with which she’d slain one hag and wounded another.
Quick caught her in the act of removing the blade, and his brow wrinkled. “Why do you want that?”
“For the starberries,” Jinn replied. The lie sounded unconvincing to even her own ears as she continued. “I’m still weak from fighting that merrow. This blade will help me cut the berries from their stems with ease.”
Her dear, innocent brother smiled again and pointed her to the path that led to oblivion. “The border is here. We walk in together, yes?” When she did not reply right away, Quick’s smile faded. “What?”
“I need one more look ahead.”
Quick groaned. “Can’t know it all.”
That argument might have held weight in the past, but Jinn realized she had been coming at the future all wrong and needed one last look. If she was to die and it was inevitable, was death also inevitable for Quick? He had been the one to say that the ‘bad man’ was after her, after all. What if this mysterious person would leave Quick alone? If they separated, she might give him enough time to find the Summoner and direct him away from Mother. It was not the original plan, but it might have a better outcome than the one she was currently following. “Give me a minute, Quick. Just one minute.”
He did not seem pleased about this suggestion, but made no argument against it, other than to say, “Then Quick eats more fish.”
Jinn closed her eyes and looked for Quick’s future path. Yes, if she concentrated on them parting ways here, as she had not thought possible nor looked for before, she could see the path. It was a tenuous path, one that she could barely see or define, but it was certainly there. As she watched him leave in her mind’s eye, Jinn saw Quick gather starberries…miss her, and then look for her. Blast, but he walked back into darkness. She would have to get him to meet her somewhere. But where? She’d never foreseen this strange land. But Quick had. Jinn would have to get crafty. Without opening her eyes or releasing her sight, Jinn asked Quick, “How far into this place did you go?”
“Quick did not go far,” he insisted.
Jinn sighed. “I’m not blaming you for anything, Quick. Just tell me what you saw.” He did not respond, so she gave him a nudge. “How about landmarks? See anything interesting?”
Quick’s attention at once latched on to that statement. “Big trees. Strange colors. And mountain. Big mountain had lots of berries on it.”
“Ah,” Jinn muttered, seeing the mountain in her vision. “I see a cave,” she lied. “Don’t look ahead. I don’t want you wasting your energy. We shall need all our strength in order to gather as many berries as we can eat and carry.”
His shoulders heaved. “That makes sense. Let’s go, then.”
A vision of Quick searching among the hills for a cave entered Jinn’s mind. It continued, and there was no darkness in the near future for him. That was as much as she could scout, as her end drew nearer. “Show me where the best berries are.”
Quick had not been wrong about the strange colors, the tall trees, the out-of-season starberries growing in clusters everywhere. Where had this place come from? It had not been there the day previous. She was certain of that.
Purple leaves the size of her body grew out of trees that could be as tall as the lesser mountains back home. These towered over their path as Quick tramped ahead. This was the difficult moment, the great deceit. Jinn stopped walking and let out a groan.
As foreseen, Quick turned around and started back toward her. “What wrong?”
Jinn clutched her hands to her head and shut her eyes. “Quick.”
“Quick here.” He came to her side and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. “What is it? A vision?”
“I’m afraid it is,” Jinn said, gasping for air before stumbling to the side.
Quick caught her. “What did you see?”
She hesitated a moment, as if giving herself time to regain composure. When she spoke again, she was ashamed by how convincing her voice sounded. “Quick, you’re not going to like this.”
“What?” he asked, voice trembling. “Something bad happens?”
Jinn hated herself. “Yes. Something bad will happen to me if we don’t separate.” She let those words sink in before continuing. “We need to pick berries apart from each other for a while.”
Quick just stared at her. “But why? Should Quick look ahead too?”
“No, Quick. I need you with your full strength.” She paused. “I saw a cave. If we meet there in two hours’ time, everything will be all right.” Her voice broke on the last word, but she pulled herself back together and nodded reassuringly at Quick. “All shall be well. Head straight for the mountain and look for the cave.”
It was sad, seeing her brother so downcast. He hung his head, tears threatening to spill from his wide eyes as he adjusted his pack. “What will you do?”
If he was going forward without her, he would need both packs with supplies to last him for at least another four days. Jinn closed her eyes and pretended to look ahead. “I need to remain here and use my foresight some more. You’ll need to hold on to my pack.”
“The knife too?”
Jinn shook her head. She was going to use that knife on whomever or whatever was chasing her. If she was going to die, then they were going to die with her. “No, I need to hold on to this.” Had she covered all possibilities? No, not quite. “I didn’t foresee you running afoul of anyone, but if you see anything dangerous, you need to run.”
Quick threw back his shoulders. “No, Jinn. Not leave you.”
“Of course not,” she replied. “We’ll meet at the cave. All right?”
Her brother gave her a look as if to say that, no, none of this was all right. But he did not argue with her plan. After a moment’s hesitation, Quick readjusted both packs and walked away without looking back.
It was difficult, but Jinn swallowed down her panic that she had sent her brother away for the last time. After all, she might not die. Maybe her sight had changed. Maybe she was misinterpreting things and…. “Who am I fooling?” she said to no one. Then she began to count the minutes and seconds. Whoever or whatever was to cause her end was almost there. They would be arriving in five minutes.
Jinn looked around her. There was not a person in sight. She stumbled through the thick clusters of starberries, and looked for the tree she was going to hide behind.
She was down to four minutes, and the nearest tree would force her to cross into the open. Her killer would be able to see her, if they were lying in wait. But she knew she didn’t die for the next three and a half minutes, so she walked into the open and followed her fate.
The tree was as thick as seven Quicks. Jinn ran for it, threw herself behind the base, and waited, out of breath. There were two minutes left.
Quick should be well out of the way now. She could no longer see his unmistakable form stalking into the distance. “Good,” she told herself, rubbing her hands down her trousers. The last minute had arrived.
Her veins pulsed in triple time. Jinn rolled up her sleeves and readied the dagger. She would throw it as soon as she was within range of this man or beast. Ten seconds remained, and Jinn sensed a change.
The air crackled as if with lightning, causing Jinn’s hairs to stand on end. The sky darkened to a red, and the wind picked up to a howl. Her hand on the blade’s grip tightened as she prepared to vault herself into the unknown. But as she rounded the tree, dagger poised for throwing, the sky lightened and the wind stilled. Jinn paused. No one was there that she could see, but she did not allow herself to relax, nor did she attempt to use her foresight, which would only leave her vulnerable to attack. Someone was here, she just hadn’t found them yet, or they her.
As if in answer to the thought, the unmistakable crunch of vegetation sounded from behind her. Jinn spun around and was prepared to throw the blade, but was hit with a tingling pulse of blue light in her left shoulder, throwing her back a pace. Jinn dodged another ray that had been directed at her, rolling to the right and springing back to her feet. Falling into a fighting stance she had seen Mother’s soldiers rely on during practice, Jinn looked into the eyes of her assailant, and tried to hide her surprise. “You?” she said. “I thought I killed you.”
The merrow looked surprised for a moment, but then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He didn’t attack again, but stood there, sizing her up. Then he sent out another pulse of blue light, which Jinn just managed to block with the hag’s dagger. The magic glanced off it and hit the tall man square in the chest. He did not cringe but absorbed the light, his already-tan skin darkening further still.
This didn’t make any sense. Merrows didn’t have this sort of magic, according to Jinn’s books. They could shape-shift and were incredibly strong, but nowhere had she read anything about them throwing around fistfuls of blue light.
Jinn rolled her shoulder and prepared to take aim. It didn’t matter, whatever this creature was. As long as she distracted him long enough, Quick would be able to flee and perhaps find the Summoner.
Of all things, the man threw his head back and laughed, opening himself up for an attack. “We haven’t met,” he said, white teeth flashing in a grin, “but you seem to know me?” It was said as a question. “That is not possible.”
She was about to let go of the dagger, but something told her to wait. If she threw it and missed, she would be defenseless against any magic cast at her. The blade from the hags must have some magic of its own that could repel this man’s attacks. It would be prudent to save throwing as a last resort.
The man scratched the base of his neck and frowned, before grinning a wicked grin and hurling a ball of yellow light at Jinn, who only just managed to dodge it. The light bounced off a tree and then rebounded, hitting her in the back and winding her slightly.
“So, you’re no wizard,” he said. “What are you?”
“Do you always talk during a fight?” said Jinn, wishing she didn’t sound so out of breath when she meant to sound fierce. Hand on her lower back, Jinn straightened her posture and watched him, waiting for the next attack.
The man, however, raised his hands as if in truce. “I don’t want to fight you. I just want to know who you are and why….”
Jinn let out a stream of expletives that would have made even one of Meraude’s soldiers blush. “You’ve been chasing me. Why?”
He raised a hand. “I can’t – I can’t see you – except through vicarious means – and that’s not supposed to happen.” He stopped and squinted at her as if that would help him. “Why is that?”
Her blood ran cold. “You’re a Sightful.”
Holes in the Veil Page 21